CONTACT INFORMATION Church/Office: 25810 156th Ave SE, Covington, WA 98042 Phone: 253-630-0701 E-Mail: office@sjtbcc.org Website: www.sjtbcc.org Regular Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9 am—3 pm Saturday, 10 am —3 pm

WELCOME Whether you’re a registered parishioner or first-time visitor, we hope you feel welcome. There are

many ways to get involved. If you have any questions, please let one of our staff members know or call the parish office 253-630-0701

MISSION STATEMENT The Catholic Community of St. John the Baptist: Where stewardship is a way of life and the diversity

of our gifts is used to answer Christ’s call to proclaim and live the Gospel. Gather in God’s Name, Grow in God’s Time, Go in God’s Spirit

FROM YOUR PASTOR

“He is risen, even as he said”. Alleluia! Resurrection is more then a new phase of the old life. Jesus invites followers to rise with him into a strange, upside-down world where apparent irreversible are reversed: life, defeats death, love trumps evil, weakness means power, humility wins out, last comes first, and “nothing will be impossible for

God” (Luke 1:37). We are beginning to experience new life emanating from this difficult time of COVID-19. May we know the joy of the Risen Christ. I will be taking time off this coming week and next weekend. Part of the time I will be staying with friends in Bellingham. It will be the first time I will spend a night away from my home in more than a year. Fr. Chuck Palluck will be here next weekend. Have a blessed Easter season.

Fr. Jim

April 4,2021

Easter Sunday

THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

Please pray for those who are sick: Paul and Leilani Parquer, Sharon Sullivan, Cristilita Zamora, Neil Ko-vacs, Tom and Rita DeLaat, Guy Schlegel, Shirley Sutton, Mary Andrews, Doug Johnson, Christina Mueller, Judy Leider and Gina Howell Please pray for those who have died: LeighAnne Raschkow (daughter of Eleanor Raschkow)

Are you grieving the loss of a spouse? Do you dread the lonely days and nights? Wonder what to do with your spouse’s belong-ings? Feel like your brain is in a fog? Unsure of how you’ll go on? St. John the Baptist Catholic Church of Covington WA will be hosting a Loss of a Spouse GriefShare® seminar to help you managed your grieving process. It will be held on Wednesday, April 21st, 2021 from 7 PM until 9 PM via the parish ONLINE ZOOM and will feature a video and discussion. Participants will be required to purchase a $5.00 book called “Loss of a Spouse” for the seminar (which comes with a free Digital version along with your online purchase/registration), and this is the only charge for the seminar. The book is extremely helpful, and is put together very nicely by the people of GriefShare® - and provides a lot of valuable tips and ideas on how to cope with this type of loss.

Not sure if it’s right for you? Check out this 3 minute video at the GriefShare® web site at: https://www.griefshare.org/loss

Once you register, you will receive an email from GriefShare® thanking you for your registration, and you will also be sent an email from your Parish Grief Ministry leadership that will provide the Zoom link for the event a few days before the event starts on April 21st. This seminar is open to anyone who has lost a spouse recently or some time ago, and you don’t have to have attended any previous GriefShare® sessions. This is a stand-alone session. At a Loss of a Spouse seminar you’ll discover:

What to expect in the days after such a loss The emotional, physical, and spiritual effects of grief Challenges that surviving spouses face Reasons for hope Practical tips for coping with the death of a spouse Here is the link to register for the event online: https://www.griefshare.org/loss/events/3621. We hope to see you there. If you should have any questions or concerns, you may contact the parish office at 253-630-0701, office@sjtbcc.org. You can also send a message the lead facili-tator, Frank Hammock, at the registration link provided above by selecting the orange “Message the contact person” button on the web site. Frank Hammock Grief Ministry Facilitator; Cert. of Spiritual Formation St. John the Baptist Catholic Church 425.241.9190 cell email-Hammockfmn785@comcast.net

GRIEF MINISTRY

Prayer, Our Deepest Longing, by Fr. Ronald Rolheiser

Expressions of gratitude from a Small Faith Group Thanks to St. John the Baptist for the book,“ Prayer- Our Deep-est Longing” by Fr. Ron Rolheiser. Perhaps the best message I received from this book was covered in the very first chapter but then reinforced throughout. Prayer is sharing with the Lord, like you would do with a friend on how you are doing at any given moment of the day. There is no need to be in a formal setting or a specific topic of the discussion but only consistency. That is you have to have that talk with the Lord every day, no matter where you are or how you feel or how irrelevant your thoughts may be. Have a friendly chat with the Lord each day and listen for his response. -Angelo Great book: it lives up to its title. It matches my reading level and because I could understand it I looked forward to reading it. The Prayer Practice in the Study Guide helped me. I concentrated on Session 4 where it sug-gested "truly tasting food as I eat." It also said to be aware of the sounds or the silence when I sit to pray. Chapter 2 suggests "nurturing silence”, helping me to think about how I can learn to "nurture" silence in nature and everything in my life. I started reading it on my own when we received it last year and then I put it aside. While it can be beneficial for an individual to read it on his/her own I think there is much more to be gained by read-ing it in a group. -Irene This book contains so many gems that it is difficult to pinpoint just one. However, for myself, pages 60-62 “Love through Locked Doors”, not only spoke volumes of God’s love, but of hope. Like, Jesus, who descended into hell (absence of God) a letting go of God’s hand, so to speak, after dying on the Cross. God’s love triumphed and resurrected Him. Each of us living today, have our own personal hells. And then there is the col-lective one withCovid-19, God’s love will triumph and resurrect us! -Jackie This has been a wonderful book for me! Two thoughts from last chapter: One does not feel God’s gentleness when all around you is noise... bitterness... paranoia! But. To feel Gods kiss - to hear His Song in our hearts requires solitude - a quietness of being where we become safe by know-ing that we are known! -Betsy This book was a very positive experience for me. I would com-ment in particular on chapter 2 “which speaks to the voice of the Good Shepard” which reminds me that God often speaks to us in whispers ... we need quietness to be graced by Him. Also, in chapter 3 I learned more in of the purpose for the Priestly pray-ers of Laudes and Vespers.... the universal prayers of the Church for the world. I’m very grateful to our Parish for provid-ing this book to our Community. -Dave Thank you to the staff of St. John the Baptist for the book Prayer, Our Deepest Longing by Ronald Rolheiser. This book not only inspired me to pray more often, but also pointed out that prayer is not always inspirational. Prayer is like a rela-tionship - sometimes it can be beautiful and motivating, other times frustrating and mundane. However, all relationships thrive on constancy and fidelity. Being faithful in my prayer life with God will allow me to grow more deeply in love with Him, as He already loves me! I am definitely passing this book on to friends and family in the hope that they, too, will desire to forge a deep-er relationship with God through prayer. –Laura Continued next column

What a gem. I found profound inspiration and insights in each section. The section reminding us of how the Hebrew people understood to be “perfect” as your Heavenly Father... invites us to also obtain a holistic and healthy understanding of the ad-monition. The section was profoundly inviting and meaningful for me. The last chapter was profound. What a gift we re-ceived. And it was only in slowly unpacking and reflecting on the material that I discovered the richness it has to offer. Thank you for giving that to us. It’s a perfect Christmas gift. I wonder if there is not so much that I breeze through and miss the real gift? -Zelie

Continuation Small Faith Group

THIS WEEK AT OUR CHURCH

Monday, April 5 Word & Communion, 9 am Tuesday, April 6 Word & Communion, 9 am Wednesday, April 7 Word & Communion, 9 am Thursday, April 8 Word & Communion, 6:30 pm Friday, April 9 Word & Communion, 9 am Saturday, April 10 NO CONFESSIONS Mass, 5:30 pm Fr. Chuck Presiding Sunday, April 11 Mass, 9 am and 11:30 am Fr. Chuck Presiding

Parish Stewardship Report for Sunday, Mar. 28, 2021 Stewardship Envelopes $ 5,561.00 Stewardship Loose $ 1,939.50 Easter Flowers $ 55.00 Vigil Lights $ 57.00 Candle Donation $ 3.00 St. Vincent de Paul $ 605.00 Grounds $ 55.00 CCS Courtyard Project $ 50.00 LJP Misc. $ 8.00 Funeral Donations $ 220.00 Catholic Relief Services $ 650.00 Missal Sales $ 5.00 Mass Intentions $ 20.00 Total $ 8,438.50

FROM OUR NEIGHBORS

SEATTLE CATHOLIC MEN'S CONFERENCE – IRON SHARPENS IRON

Theme: Strength for the Battle Friday, April 23

rd and Saturday April 24th

St. Brendan’s Catholic Church, Bothell

Featuring Father Spitzer Bishop Mueggenborg, Father Wichert and Father Ed

White

$40 In-person registration at www.seattlemensconference.org

Or virtually for free (recommended donation) Visit website for additional information

The following information does not constitute an endorsement of the product or service, but is provided as a service to our parishioner

Single women & 1 pet dog needs a rental (apartment, condo, house) by 5/15. Able to pay up to $1,400.00.

Diane Miller ( 619-569-9301)

LIFE, JUSTICE, PEACE

HAPPY EASTER We prayed, fasted and gave alms—and now we rejoice because Christ is risen! Our Lenten journey with CRS

Rice Bowl challenges us as we begin the Easter season to share the joy of having a loving God that is alive and accompanies us always. Let’s do the same by being pre-sent to our global family by caring for their material and spiritual needs. Don’t forget to turn in your CRS Rice Bowl in the Narthex, front office, or donate online at crsricebowl.org/give.

Weekly Environmental Tip Buy clothing and products made from natural materials – wood, fiber, metal, glass – rather than from plastics and synthetics/acrylics, etc. You might also choose to focus on sustainably made products (compostable phone cases, sunglasses made from recycled ocean plastics, etc.)

Have you joined St. John the Baptist this past year? We would love to wel-come you and to get to know you!

Fr. Jim is hosting a Zoom gatherings on Sunday, April 18th from 3-4:30

pm. He is looking forward to meeting you and finding out how the parish might serve you! Please Join Us!

Contact Anne Frederick at the office 253-630-0701 or email at annef@sjtbcc.org for more information and to RSVP

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